Devices for the accurate and rapid centering and driving of a railway-car axle beingmachined on a so-called &#34;on-the-spot&#34; re-shaping machine



June 6, 1967 P. LADOUES ETAL 3,323,397

DEVICES FOR THE ACCURATE AND RAPID CENTERING AND DRIVING OF A RAILWAY-CAR AXLE BEING MACHINED ON A SO-CALLED "ON-THE-SPOT" REF-SHAPING MACHINE Filed March 19, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Brwe 1 4 0 aes June 6, 1967 P. LADOUES ETAL 3,323,397

DEVICES FOR THE ACCURATE AND RAPID CENTERING AND DRIVING OF A RAILWAY-GAR AXLE BEING MACHINED ON A SO-CALLED "ON-THE-SPOT" IKE-SHAPING MACHINE Filed March 19, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Er7- Zea a 46$ Iii/e hr a 60376- 2 24 1 6 4M 2%? ma #27 June 6, 1967 P. LADQUES ETAL 3,323,397

DEVICES FOR THE ACCURATE AND RAPID CENTERING AND DRIVING OF A RAILWAY-CAR AXIJE BEING MACHINED ON A SO-CALLED "ON-THE-SPOT" RBI-SHAPING MACHINE Filed March 19, 1965 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Hg l3 fire )7 i2 206 r/-a la Jove: 205 8); [440 7 72(za7;

United States Patent 3,323,397 DEVICES FOR THE ACCURATE AND RAPID CEN- TERING AND DRIVING OF A RAILWAY-CAR AXLE BEING MACHINED ON A SO-CALLED ON-THlE-SPOT RE-SHAPING MACHINE Pierre Ladoues, 183 Rue Saint Genes, Bordeaux, Gironde, France, and Henri Lacoste-Tuzan, Ave. de lEglise, Cujan-Mestras, Gironde, France Filed Mar. 19, 1965, Ser. No. 441,024 Claims priority, application France, Mar. 23, 1964, 968,362, Patent 1,418,811 3 Claims. (Cl. 82-8) In a preceding patent filed by the same applicant under No. 149,447 on November 1, 1961, there is described and illustrated a device for automatically centering, in the vertical plane of cutting coincident with the axis of the machine, a railway-car axle during the machining thereof on a so-called on-the-spo re-shaping machine, and also for driving this axle with a view to perform the machining thereof (when it is not possible or advantageous to use to this end the self-contained and self-powered equipment of the railway vehicle). This device comprises essentially:

(1) A retractable section of auxiliary railway track overlying a pit containing a re-shaping bed, this track section being adapted to receive the axle to be machined upon arrival of the vehicle equipped with this axle (the vehicle being moved onto this auxiliary track section either by using its self-propelling means or otherwise). The cross-sectional contour of this auxiliary track section is such that the wheel flanges of the axle roll on the running surface or tread of the rails formed with a raised edge guiding roughly the wheels by engaging their inner faces, and that the outer portions of the wheel treads (rolling surface and bevel) project to a substantial extent from these rails.

(2) Two pairs of driving rollers having horizontal axes and disposed symmetrically on a pair of slides movable vertically along a corresponding pair of guide members connected to the machine frame structure, whereby said rollers, during their upward movement, engage the treads of the axle wheels which project outside the aforesaid auxiliary rails.

Immediately as the first contact is established between at least one of said rollers and the one wheel of the axle (which has been positioned approximately by moving same rapidly along its retractable rails) the rollers, while continuing their upward movement at a slower rate, are rotatably driven in a direction such that the two wheels of the axle engage automatically the four rollers. The auxiliary track section is subsequently retracted.

With this operation (which takes place very rapidly) the axis of the axle is located horizontally in the aforesaid fixed vertical plane with a degree of precision as high as afforded by the dilferences in diameters and the unevennesses of the treads bearing on the rollers.

In this vertical plane the final positioning of the axle axis is subsequently obtained by moving the four rollers to a predetermined position in which said axis is maintained in a strictly accurate and fixed manner in a horizontal direction parallel to the re-shaping bed.

This holding action is obtained either by mounting the axle between points or through any other known means (such as for example the locking of the axle-boxes in position according to the so-called steady-center mounting).

This centering operation is obviously necessary for reshaping the wheels concentrically to the axis of an axle spindle and in the proper direction of the treads or contours.

The rollers are then ready to drive the axle wheels for machining same.

To this end, they are caused to bear against the wheel treads with a sufficient vertical force exerted by the lifting rams of said slides, in order to provide the necessary tangential eifort.

However, due on the one hand to the strict fixedness of the axle axis and on the other hand to the unevennesses of the wheel treads to be re-shaped, it is clear that the roller-supporting slides cannot remain strictly motionless during the axle rotation; therefore, they are reciprocated.

The reciprocating movements thus applied to said slides prevent the rigid mounting of these members, otherwise the device would be jammed or even break. Therefore, an elastic slide mounting must be contemplated.

According to a prefer-red form of embodiment of the present invention the elastic mounting of the rollers is obtained by providing a hydraulic slide control associated with a hydro-pneumatic accumulator mounted on the hydraulic circuits of said control.

In order to afford a clearer understanding of this invention the above-mentioned form of embodiment will now be described by Way of example with reference to the attached drawings in which:

FIGURES 1 and 2 show diagrammatically in sideelevati-onal and plane view from above the position of the axis Y of an axle as the latter is positioned on a retractable auxiliary track section 3;

FIGURES 3 and 4 are views similar to the preceding one, showing the upward movement of the slides 5 carrying the rollers 4;

FIGURES 5 and 6 show the upward movement of the axle on the rollers 4 and the retraction of the auxiliary track 3;

FIGURE 7 is a general View of the equipment according to this invention, mounted on a re-shaping bed overlying a pit with the axle mounted between center points and the auxiliary track retracted;

FIGURE 8 is a fragmentary view corresponding to the preceding one but showing as an alternate construction the positioning of the axle by positive engagement of the external axle-boxes against upper abutments;

FIGURE 9 illustrates another construction with positive engagement of the internal axle boxes against lower abutments;

FIGURES 10, 11 and 12 illustrate diagrammatically and respectively three different phases of the operation of a hydro-pneumatic device, according to the nature of the unevenness of the wheel to be corrected, and

FIGURES l3, l4 illustrate diagrammatically the control of the re-shaping tool in conjunction with a standard contour jig.

The first positioning steps, as described in the aforesaid prior patent application, consist in directing the axle Y onto an auxiliary track 3 (FIGURES l and 2), supporting this axle from underneath by means of rollers 4 carried by slides 5 (FIGURES 3, 4), and then lifting the axle on said rollers (FIGURES 5, 6).

As shown in FIGURE 7, the axle is disposed between center points while it is still subjected to an upward stress from the rollers 104 carried by the slides 105, this upward stress being now maintained only for the purpose of permitting the necessary adherence for overcoming the tangential machining effort.

FIGURE 8 shows a modified method of centering an axle having external axle-boxes B, by using upper abutment members I connected to the frame structure, the weight of the railway vehicle being applied at P.

FIGURE 9 shows an alternate method of centering an axle having internal axle-boxes L and to be held against motion through these boxes by means of lower abutment members C.

In the last alternate forms of embodiment (FIGURES 8 and 9) the axle is held in the transverse direction with the assistance of a pair of independent rams V exerting their pressure against the inner face of the wheels by means of a pair of rollers G.

Reverting now to FIGURE 7, it will be seen that the slides 105 are actuated by means of hydraulic rams 106 fed separately through oil feed lines 208 responsive to control valves 2%)} and having branched olf a hydropneumatic storage vessel 202 consisting of a rigid container filled with hydraulic fluid in which an elastic bladder 293 filled with gas such as nitrogen is immersed.

For each ram the mass of gas contained in this bladder is so determined that it can absorb, by undergoing a compression, the minor downward movements of the ram which are caused by the most pronounced unevennesses in the tread concerned, although the pressure of thi gaseous mass remains suflicient when the tread hollows cause the ram to move upwards, so that the upward efiort exerted by the rollers on this tread remains adequate.

' The operation of this device is clearly illustrated in FIGURES 10, 11 and 12 of the drawings, in which the reference numeral 24M designates the operative portion or insert of the cutting tool.

In these three figures the cutting tool is illustrated in any momentary position.

Of course, the tool, during its transverse movement, is responsive to the standard contour jig 205 of the cross forming or copying device 207 corresponding to the generatrix contour.

FIGURE shows the case in which the tread of a wheel 101' presents to the pair of rollers 164 surfaces of which the major radius of curvature corresponds to the mean value v of the volume of the gas-filled bladder 203.

FIGURE 11 shows the case in which the tread has smaller radii, whereby the piston of ram 106 is moved upwards and the bladder 203 is expanded or inflated until it attains a volume v FIGURE 12 corresponds to the reverse case, in which the tread projects and therefore causes the ram to move downward while contracting the gas-filled bladder to a volume v I claim:

1. Device permitting the rapid centering and driving of an axle of railway vehicle during the machining thereof on a so-called on-the-spot re-shaping bed, comprising to this end a retractable track receiving the axle, two pairs of driving rollers having horizontal axes and disposed symmetrically in relation to a fixed vertical plane parallel to said bed and mounted on a pair of slides movable in two fixed vertical guide members, whereby said rollers may lift said axle wheels while automatically centering its axis in said fixed vertical plane, means for subsequently centering said axis definitely and strictly in said plane and in a direction parallel to the re-shaping bed, so that the tool lies at a constant distance from the axis of rotation during each wheel revolution, means for driving the centered axle with a view to machine same, and means permitting of utilizing the driving effort by urging said rollers against said axle with an elastic force suflicient to obtain the necessary adherence, said elastic force being advantageously obtained by actuating the roller-supporting slides by means of hydraulic rams, the circuit of each ram having branched thereon in parallel a hydropneumatic accumulator.

2. Device according to claim 1, wherein said hydropneumatic accumulator consists of a rigid vessel filled with the liquid utilized in the hydraulic circuit and containing a gas-filled elastic bladder.

3. Device according to claim 2, wherein the gas utilized is nitrogen.

No references cited.

WILLIAM W. DYER, JR., Primary Examiner.

HARRISON L. HINSON, Examiner. 

1. DEVICE PERMITTING THE RAPID CENTERING AND DRIVING OF AN AXLE OF RAILWAY VEHICLE DURING THE MACHINING THEREOF ON A SO-CALLED ON-THE-SPOT RE-SHAPING BED, COMPRISING TO THIS END A RETRACTABLE TRACK RECEIVING THE AXLE, TWO PAIRS OF DRIVING ROLLERS HAVING HORIZONTAL AXES AND DISPOSED SYMMETRICALLY IN RELATION TO A FIXED VERTICAL PLANE PARALLEL TO SAID BED AND MOUNTED ON A PAIR OF SLIDES MOVABLE IN TWO FIXED VERTICAL GUIDE MEMBERS, WHEREBY SAID ROLLERS MAY LIFT SAID AXLE WHEELS WHILE AUTOMATICALLY CENTERING ITS AXIS IN SAID FIXED VERTICAL PLANE, MEANS FOR SUBSEQUENTLY CENTERING SAID AXIS DEFINITELY AND STRICTLY IN SAID PLANE AND IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE RE-SHAPING BED, SO THAT THE TOOL LIES AT A CONSTANT DISTANCE FROM THE AXIS OF ROTATION DURING EACH WHEEL REVOLUTION, MEANS FOR DRIVING THE CEN- 